Temperatures hit 109 Wednesday in Sacramento with more sweltering days ahead

Temperatures have been record-breaking this week and overnight temperatures will remain high through the weekend.
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Temperatures have been record-breaking this week and overnight temperatures will remain high through the weekend.
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Downtown Sacramento temperatures reached a record-tying 109 degrees on Wednesday, with more triple-digit heat projected through the weekend.

Wednesday’s blistering high — recorded at about 6 p.m. — matched the city record reached on the same day in 1975, said National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Kurth.

The average high for July 25 is 94 degrees and the record high for the month is 114 degrees, set on July 17, 1925, Kurth said.

The prolonged heat wave is notable, Kurth said, because the region is getting warmer-than-usual nighttime temperatures, despite the normally cooling influence of the Delta breeze. Thursday morning’s low was 79 degrees in the foothills and in the mid-60s in Sacramento, said Kurth.

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“Some of the main risk here is for people who don’t have air conditioning and (they) should seek out somewhere to stay temporarily until the heat is over,” he advised.

For elderly people, heat-related illness can be especially dangerous, Kurth said, warning that some individuals “don’t realize how hot it is in their homes.”

Relying on fans can give a false sense of cooling.

“If it doesn’t cool down a lot at night, fans are inefficient at cooling,” Kurth said.

This weekend’s forecast predicts highs of 103 on Saturday and 102 on Sunday in Sacramento. The foothills will see highs in the range of 95 to 105 degrees over the weekend, and the mountains will see daytime temperatures in the high 70s to low 90s at upper elevations and in the low 90s up to 100 degrees in the lower elevations, according to the NWS.

Excessive heat warnings are in effect in the Sacramento Valley for the greater Marysville area stretching north to Redding, according to the NWS.

Cooler temperatures and greater Delta breezes should return next week.

A vehicle fire Wednesday on Highway 49 in Placer County is believed to have started due to overheating. "Be careful out there during these hot temperatures," Placer County Sheriff's Office said. The truck was badly damaged but no one was injured.

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